To tell you about my week, it has been somewhat of a blur. A good one, but kind of crazy..
On my birthday it was Transfer day, we went to lunch at my favorite restaurant, White Bean, Sister Roderick, Sister Sanft, and I... ate a lot (: and then headed to the Mission Office for transfers. Sister Roderick's new companion is Sister Andres, who is Sister Sanft's aki (child--- meaning her trainee). I think Sister Roderick and I had been holding it in but we both broke down crying! I seriously love that girl so much, and feel so blessed to have been her trainer, gotten so close, and I know we will have a lifetime friendship. I hope she enjoys this next phase of her mission and continues forward being the amazing missionary she is.
Then I was temporary companions with Sister Sanft, and Sister Abarabar (Sister Sanft's new STL companion, and the Sister I was temporary companions with in my area about 6 weeks ago). So we went to some people in the area, and we had curfew at 7pm, but went to Ivy Sto. Tomas's house for dinner and New Year’s before curfew. They may have bought a cake, and sang happy birthday to me... many times and we had loud horns, and firecrackers were going off everywhere, so it was kind of like my birthdays back home.... in a way. But I have one picture of it, but it is on Sister Sanft's camera.... she has ton of pics I need to get from her! And surprisingly I slept through the siren of "bombs" on New Years. In America its more, lets shoot some pretty fireworks, here it’s like... let’s try to make the loudest, bomb like sounding noises, over and over. Children use "paputok", which means firecrackers.. left and right! I worry for their poor little hands!
Then on Wednesday, we had Trainers Training, and I met my new companion.... Sister Marzan!
She is from San Fernando, Pampanga, which is about an hour from Manila. She is seriously the sweetest companion, and I can tell we are going to have so much success, and do so well together here in Canaman. She has such a strong desire to be exactly obedient, and work hard. We are going to find, teach, and baptize like nobody’s business!
Thursday, was her "first" full day, we had gone out the night before to one appointment, but her first full day was Thursday, and oh my… was it the funniest, most interesting first day for a new missionary. We were able to teach our neighbor who is always asking us questions. He is very nice, but VERY full of questions, and sometimes doesn't even wait for us to answer, but we are trying to figure out the best way to teach him. He is very Catholic, and makes the images all along the wall of the Cathedral Seminary building next to our house (oh yeah if you look up Porte Marie, or Penefrancia Cathedral in Naga... I live like a 1 minute walk from that), so we are going to keep teaching him, but that was a very difficult, challenging, and long lesson , Then... get this .. on the way to our next appointment we ran into a former investigator who is former for different reasons, but one being - she also wouldn't listen to us, she would raise her voice at us and get really close and intense, and yeah hard to explain it all. I seriously as a missionary give everyone chances, and I have the hardest time dropping investigators, but I felt unsafe teaching her…. and she is the one who dropped us, we would stop by and she would avoid us.... basta... anyways.... but we saw her on the street and I went to shake her hand, and she pulled us in. Ahhh ..Mga 30 minutes yata (maybe for 30 minutes) we were caught there. She was venting, raising her voice, going off in Bicol, which neither of us understand...needless to say it was an interesting experience not only for me, but especially for Sister Marzan's first day.
The lesson to follow though, made it all worth it (:
We have been teaching some people in a family for that Sister Sands and I had OYMed (Opened our mouths to) and we went to teach Mariss, the 18 year old daughter for the second time. She is awesome, so nice, and had some Mormon friends before. The first time we taught her we asked, “ why we needed to be baptized,” and is Jesus Christ was Mormon (: Good Questions!
This second time we taught her the Restoration and Sister Marzan committed her to be baptized. She accepted and said she would be baptized on February 8th! We were so excited and cannot wait to see her progression and her knowledge of the Gospel increase. It was a really neat lesson, especially after the somewhat interesting encounters earlier in the day. That's what I love about being a missionary. Every experience is a learning opportunity, and also a chance to grow.
Then we ended teaching at Ace's with Brother Franco... and this had to have been one of my favorite lessons, just because it even deepened my appreciation for the Gospel, and the truth of Eternal Families. We taught Ace about Eternal Marriage, and I realized more than ever that in order to obtain the highest glory of the Celestial Kingdom, and to be the happiest we can possibly be, we MUST be married for time and all eternity in the Lords house, the temple. I feel so blessed, and grateful my parents set that example for me, and I will set that example for my children. No one, nothing is worth not getting married, and sealed in the temple! We must set our eyes on the temple, and do everything we can to be worthy to go there. I love the temple, and especially my eternal family (:
Sorry this is a long letter, but I have had a lot of thinking to do, especially since I was bed ridden a lot of Friday, all of Saturday, and in the house and at church most of Sunday...
I started feeling really sick Friday, we had district meeting, and I could eat hardly anything at the District lunch.... I felt I was going to pass out. So we went home, I took a good hour nap, we studied, then went to a referral appointment we had.. which her name is Vanessa by the way (: I am excited to keep teaching her! But then we had Missionary Coordination Meeting so we went to that, and I had Elder Zou (the Chines Elder), and Elder Ligan give me a blessing! Oh and this same day Sister Sanft went to the hospital because she has been really sick.. they diagnosed her with Chickengonia (sp?)... it’s a form of dengue that is more severe and really affects your joints. You have severe pain with it! So yeah..... we both slept all day Saturday, and kept each other company while our companions worked together in our areas. I had a 103 temperature for most of Saturday, and took 2 cool bathes to try to cool off. I am finally feeling lots better today, and able to eat again! (:
Sunday, Ace passed the sacrament! And we now start church at 9am. We were able to finally do our Weekly Planning, and got to go teach Ariel! He is progressing and doing well. He seriously is like a Brother to me. All of the Carr brothers, and friends. I hope they will accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives, change, follow the example of Jesus Christ, and find the happiness and joy the true church, and true doctrine of Christ brings into my life, and the lives of others.
I am sorry if this week seemed to have some negatives, but to me all the negatives, or what seem to be negatives, really always turn to positives... they are for my growth. As I am sick I try to think of the pain Christ felt for every single one of us... which is unimaginable. When challenges happen when teaching lessons I try to think, what can I learn not to do, or how can I learn to love this person. The Lord loves EVERY ONE! I want to try my best to do the same, and love with some of the capacity He loves. I know we can each try to be better at the every day.
Challenge for the week: Reach out and show someone new or someone you have never shown you love them in a simple way. It could even be a random stranger through some small act of service (: Have fun! Any stories you want to share, email me!
I love you all so much. Be safe, and Happy New Year (:
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